A good keyboard and Atom’s latest processor make the Wind U135 a worthwhile choice for those on a tight budget.

In general, MSI netbooks have been the long-distance runners of the category; the U100, the U110, and the U123 all had impressive battery life. With its newest netbook, the Wind U135 ($329), MSI is using the second-generation Atom N450 processor, which was designed to provide up to 20 percent greater power efficiency than Intel’s last chip. However, the U135 doesn’t last nearly as long on a charge as the competition. What we do like about this netbook is its comfortable keyboard and low $329 price.

Design

With a footprint of 10.2 x 7.0 x 1.5 inches, the U135 takes up about as much desk space as other netbooks of its ilk. However, its battery sticks out the bottom of the system, increasing its thickness in the back to 1.5 inches. While not nearly as egregious as the Wind U110, this protrusion is more noticeable than those on many other netbooks with 6-cell batteries. Weighing 2.8 pounds, the U135 disappeared like every other netbook once inside our messenger bag.

When we first opened the lid of the U135, we were struck by the similariries between this system and the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE-P (Seashell), and with good reason: The two island-style keyboards are almost identical, and both have a single mouse bar as opposed to discrete buttons.

While our U135 came in blue, consumers will also be able to get the netbook in silver, red, or black. The wavy line pattern on the lid is also repeated on the touchpad, which adds a nice graphical element to the design. This pattern also does a decent job of masking fingerprint smudges.

Heat

The U135 kept its cool, something nice to see (and feel) on a device this small. After playing a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes, both the touchpad and the space between the G and H keys only reached 88 degrees, and the middle of the bottom was a comparatively cool 83 degrees. Even the area by the vent, usually one of the hottest areas on a notebook, only got as warm as 90 degrees. The trade-off is that the U135’s fan is a bit loud.